Leon: The Professional (1994)

Directed by: Luc Besson

Starring: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and Natalie Portman

The Professional introduces moviegoers around the world to a young Natalie Portman.  Her character Mathilda is a 12-year old girl whose family is killed by corrupt DEA agents.  She only survives because she is out buying groceries while her parents and siblings are getting brutally murdered.  She turns to her neighbor Leon (Jean Reno) for food and shelter, but she gets far more than she intended.  Leon is a professional hitman who teaches her the tricks of his trade.  As she learns more and more about how to kill people, she seeks revenge for her younger brother who was murdered by Stan Stansfield (Gary Oldman), one of the corrupt DEA agents.

The Professional is a rather unique thriller.  There’s a warm, gooey center to its violent core.  Certainly, the film is gritty and brutal.  You will get plenty of bullets and blood in The Professional.  Regardless of its violence, the movie centers on a relationship that blossoms between an assassin and a 12-year old girl.  Though he’s not the ideal person for the role, Leon provides the support that Mathilda needs to cope with her personal tragedies, and he teaches her how to use a gun in the process.  The Professional is a truly great crime thriller worth watching if you have the time.